Those Passing Days: Gratitude and Anticipation

It is very surprising how fast time can go by. Just a few short months ago our second son Josiah was born, and the year 2010 is just another month away. Before we know it Josiah will be a whole year old, spring and summer will be here again, and another year will have passed.

The Thanksgiving holiday was a few days ago, and it was very enjoyable this year. We got together with Kasey's family; in-laws, grandparents, nieces and nephews, uncles, distant cousins, everyone was there which made for a full house and fun all-around. We had a huge feast: appetizers of spinach-artichoke dip and olives; a main course of the traditional, low-calorie, low-fat fixings; and finished off with several slices of apple, pumpkin, and pecan pie (all homemade!). It was all so delicious and filling that I couldn't walk when we were all finished; I could only roll myself in the general direction I wanted to go.

As is often the case, I've found myself reflecting on what I have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. So here I am to share a little, and to also get a blog post in for the month of November.

Family- I am thankful for my wife. There's no one I know who does as much for her children and the household as Kasey does. She is my best friend, who I can share anything with and she will give her honest opinion, even (especially!) when it's something I've been struggling with and won't exactly like the answer I need to hear. She is always singing and laughing, sometimes about something completely random, other times singing our youngest to sleep. I don't know how I could go through a day without talking with her, without us saying our "I love yous."

I am thankful for my sons. Benjamin and Josiah are growing up so fast, it's both shocking and amazing to see. I remember when Ben couldn't move himself around at all, and now he's running around everywhere and I can barely keep up with him (because of the huge Thanksgiving meal, mind you). Josiah is at the stage where he wants to run around with us, and starting to want the food we're eating, yet can't seem to get his legs going fast enough or move his hands in time to grab the food before we do. I cannot wait to watch them grow even more over the coming months and years, and see the changes that are in store.

I am thankful for grandparents, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews and cousins. There's nothing like gathering everyone into one place and spending time with one another, laughing, playing, eating, talking, and sharing together. A little peace amidst a trying world.

Church- I am thankful for Willow Creek Baptist Church, and the pastors, members, and friends we've found there. It's been a long time since we've felt welcomed and challenged by a particular church, and both Kasey and I are so thankful for it. I am so thankful to have strong, Biblical teaching and influences for the family I am responsible for leading. Worship is powerful and Christ-centered; the preaching is centered on God's Holy Word; and the fellowship that has grown through events and times of service and the community groups has been so beneficial. We have all been so blessed by our time thus far at Willow Creek. I am thankful for a great church body, and a wonderful Creator-Savior, who sits on His throne above all the problems and miseries of this world.

House- I am thankful for a nice, comfortable house for us to live in. With two boys, and numerous bins of books and Christmas decorations to store, we needed more space than an apartment could allow. We've lived in this house for more than a year now (and are running out of space already; I'm also thankful for books :) and can't imagine living in an apartment at this stage in our lives. We could have made do in an apartment; we don't need more stuff (as in books) and the boys can always share a bedroom, but we had a gift given to us, and we were glad to accept. It is so enjoyable to live ten minutes from work, get to drive home on lunch break, and see my boys watching out the window for me as I drive down our road and park in the driveway.

Job- I am thankful for a job. In today's world, just to be working is such a blessing, regardless of the kind of work or the company. We would do well to think of the countless thousands that are looking for work, and have no options and no where else to go. And not only do I have a job, but a good job with great benefits and great co-workers. Sure, working in a call center has never been the easiest or most enjoyable, but this particular job has been the most rewarding by far, not only to me personally but to our family as a whole. Who knows where we will be in a year or two, but right now I cannot help but give thanks for the great job I have been given.

School- I am thankful for the opportunity to earn a college degree. It hasn't been easy, and there's been plenty of sleepless nights and missed time with family, but by this time next year (hopefully, according to plan) I will have earned an accredited bachelor's degree from a top business school, all with little cost out-of-pocket. Yes, I could have taken the time and the courses to finish a while ago, but to be able to afford to take classes now, while working and raising a family, has been difficult at times, but also extremely rewarding. In the long run, the hard work and sacrifice we put in now will pay off handsomely in the future.

Country and Military- I am thankful for the united States of America, and the armed forces serving to protect her. While we may not agree with the politics and politicians of today, or support any foreign wars we now fight, we can be thankful that we live in a country where we can disagree and not support such things. While we may not like the political party currently holding office, we can be thankful to be living in a country where elections matter and votes do count. While we enjoy the right to work and live and learn as we please here at home, we can be thankful that others have died, are dying, and will die to protect that right and make sure posterity does as well. I am thankful to live in America, and I am thankful to be an American.

While I could list multiple other things to be thankful for, I realize the Thanksgiving holiday has already come and gone, and now is the time to (officially) prepare for Christmas. However, never forget to be thankful for what you do have, what you have already been given, and what God Almighty has already done.

Say thank you to your family and friends and country's soldiers, whistle while you work, and pray a prayer of thanks to the One who gives and takes away.




"The fear of man lays a snare,
but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe."
-Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)

The Lessons of Hope: Together We Couldn't, Can't and Never Will

So yesterday the news broke that the Olympic committee had voted against Chicago and the United States hosting the 2016 Olympics. There was much disbelief, sadness, bitterness and frustration all around. After working so hard, waiting so long, and spending so much, all of our enormous efforts fell upon deaf ears and thankless hearts. Major celebrities and politicians went so far as to leave the country to meet with Olympic committee members, something that had rarely, if ever, happened before. Those meetings were held and some speeches were made, yet in the end Chicago was voted out in the very first round.

Regardless of what major issue our nation is facing, whether it be the economy or health care or war or even sports games, we must remember the truth. No matter which party controls the Senate and House, no matter how many conservative or liberal judges sit on the Supreme Court, no matter how many Republican or Democratic governors there are, we need to remember the truth. Whether we have an experienced, weathered, and respected commander-in-chief, or a no-name, former alcoholic, lying adulterer sitting in the Oval Office, we have to remember the truth. We say that the other political party has the answers, or that greedy corporations or tyrannical governments have it out for us, yet we must hold on to the truth:

What we must remember, what we must hold on to, what we must share is that our hopes will always be dashed when we place our hope in mankind, but we can see hope realized through our Almighty Father.

We must stop placing our hopes in political parties, a piece of legislation, or national political leaders. This does not mean that we must chant "all we need is Jesus," or stage a "Jesus for president" rally. The issues at stake are far larger than that, and more complicated than that. To simplify the matter that way is not beneficial, wise or necessary.

What we must remember, what we must hold on to, what we must share is the authority and supremacy of the Father, expressed in the saving grace of His Son on the Cross.

We see economies collapse and people starve; dictators lie and deceive and brag; criminals and pedophiles taunt and go free; wars started and finished; disasters destroy cities and kill thousands; and terrorists murder and destroy, yet in reply we always tend to pass blame onto someone or something else and call for more government control or try and get the other party elected next time.

What we must remember, what we must hold on to, what we must share is that this world can only offer depravity and hopelessnes, and how our fears can be calmed and hope satisfied by the Redeemer Messiah.

Through Him and only Him can our hopes be met.

We must remember that.



"My hope is built on nothing less,
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand."
-The Solid Rock

Those New Adventures: Shoe Booties and Hospital Cafeteria Food

So Josiah Levi Foster was born today, at 1:38pm, weighing in at 7 pounds 7 ounces, and measuring 19 1/2 inches, at Mercy Hospital in downtown Des Moines. Very exciting, very exhausting, very memorable day!

Tomorrow we will be starting the series of tests and check-ups to see if there is a problem with his kidneys, and whether or not surgery will be needed. Besides that, Kasey had to go through another c-section; neither of us wanted one in the first place as they seem to add a flavor of "NASCAR pit crew doing business as usual" to what should be a time of rejoicing and praise, welcoming new life into the world. But, with Kasey's first delivery experience being less than pleasurable, we went with the tried-and-true this time around. So far things are going great; Kasey is doing well and recovering, and baby Josiah is healthy and strong, eyes wide open and taking it all in.

It feels weird being at home with just me and Ben here, and Kasey and Josiah in the hospital. Hopefully, we will be able to come home Thursday night instead of Friday morning, so we might be able to start our new lives with two boys that much sooner!

Ice cream tastes great. Movies and television can be entertaining. A good book can invigorate and educate. Friends and family can support you and make you laugh. But when you hear your son cry out for the first time, and see him for the first time, and hold him for the first time, all else fades away and becomes sheer nonsense.

I wish I had more and better words to help describe the feeling; you're in this room filled with bright lights, expensive medical tools, nurses running all around holding stuff or getting ready to hold stuff, and doctors doing who-knows-what on the other side of the curtain separating you and your wife from all the "action." You're holding your wife's hand, wondering if you should try to convince her to let you take a picture of her in this emotional and traumatic state because everyone wants to remember this part. You can hear the doctors discussing the game plan on the other side of the curtain: "With a snip snip here, and a cut cut there..." "Don't touch that." "Where's the manual?" All of a sudden, the banter stops, the nurses stop running around, and you hear it: the first cry. Your heart stops, your eyes water up, you try and catch a glimpse of him as he comes forth into the world. Next thing you know, he's taken over to a table where he's poked and examined and cleaned for what seems like eternity, before being wrapped up and taken over to see Mommy. And the whole time this is going on, the doctors are high-fiving each other; you're trying to keep from getting steam-rolled by the delivery nurses while trying to wrestle them out of the way for the best camera angle; and you still haven't taken a breath or seen through clear eyes.

There, maybe those words will help.

But I doubt it.




"Come, thou Fount of every blessing,
tune my heart to sing thy grace;
streams of mercy, never ceasing,
call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
mount of thy redeeming love."
-Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing